Kathy Griffin's photo shoot sparked outrage, but some celebrities are defending the comedienne. (Reuters)
Kathy Griffin’s recent photo shoot with controversial photographer Tyler Shields where she’s depicted holding a bloodied mask of President Donald Trump immediately sparked national outrage. However, a few celebrities publicly defended the 56-year-old comedienne:
1. Al Franken
(Reuters)
Al Franken stepped up to support his friend on CNN's "New Day." The senator announced that while he believed the image went too far, Griffin can survive the backlash. “Kathy is a friend and she’s a terrific comedian, but this had no business being in our public discourse,” explained the 66-year-old Minnesota Democrat and former “Saturday Night Live” writer. “And I talked to her. She has apologized… she actually begged for forgiveness and I believe in forgiveness. I think she did the right thing asking for forgiveness and acknowledging that this is a horrible mistake, so I think she can.” Despite the support, Franken has disinvited Griffin from his upcoming book event where she was scheduled to speak. “After hearing from many Minnesotans who were rightfully offended, I’ve come to the conclusion that it would be best for her not to participate in the event we had previously scheduled. I understand why Minnesotans were upset by this, and I take that very seriously,” he said.
2. Jim Carrey
Cast member Jim Carrey attends the premiere of "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone" in Hollywood, California March 11, 2013. (Reuters)
Jim Carrey disagreed with the decision CNN made of booting Griffin from their annual New Year’s Eve show. “It’s the job of the comedian to cross the line at all times,” told the 55-year-old comedian to Entertainment Tonight. “That line is not real and if you step out into that spotlight and you’re doing the crazy things that [Trump] is doing, we’re the last line of defense. The comedians are the last voice of truth in this whole thing.”
3. Jamie Foxx
Cast member Jamie Foxx poses at the premiere of "Horrible Bosses 2" at the TCL Chinese theatre in Hollywood, California November 20, 2014. The movie opens in the U.S. on November 26. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni (UNITED STATES - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT) - RTR4EZE3 (Reuters)
Jamie Foxx told Entertainment Tonight it’s the job of the comedian to push buttons. “Listen, as comedians, sometimes you go beyond, past the line,” said the 49-year-old actor. “I still love Kathy Griffin. She went past the line, she’ll pay for it in the way she pays for it, and we’ll go out and we’ll laugh with her again.”
4. Larry King
(Reuters)
While Larry King thought the photo was in “terrible taste,” he believed it was a mistake for his network to toss out Griffin. “I feel sorry for Kathy,” the 83-year-old told TMZ. “She’s my friend, she apologized, let it go. I wouldn’t have fired her, Ted Turner wouldn’t have fired her. They’re jumping all over her now… I would have kept her. It was a terrible mistake, no one feels sorrier than her, she apologized. CNN shouldn’t have let her go.”
5. Mike Lawrence
“Inside Amy Schumer” writer Mike Lawrence believed Griffin didn’t need to apologize for the image because the comedienne was aware of what she was doing before the backlash. The 34-year-old wrote a lengthy post on Facebook about the incident. “You know what you did and should own it,” he explained. “It wasn’t a riff onstage or a joke you had done once or twice. It was a photo shoot…You wanted a reaction and got it. So live in it. Don’t apologize.”
6. Rosie O'Donnell
(Reuters)
Rosie O’Donnell tweeted about the infamous stunt. “[And] she apologized right away — she made a mistake and owned up to it — more than we can say for HIM,” the 55-year-old wrote, referring to Trump.
7. Tyler Shields
(Tyler Shields)
The photographer behind the shocking photo also came to Griffin’s defense. “That’s what art is meant to do,” he told Fox News. “Some people look at it and they love it. Some people look at it and they hate it… I understand there are going to be people that hate this. It’s a very touchy subject… but this is not real. We didn’t kill anybody nor do I feel anybody should be killed. It’s no different from a movie. It just happens to be a still image.”
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